


Took Your Cherry

by ericsonclan



Series: Ericson's Diner AU [6]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Innuendo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24281944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Louis' poor choice of words lead to a day of pranks XD
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Louis & Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Ericson's Diner AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688374
Kudos: 12





	Took Your Cherry

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

Clementine was sitting at the bar, taking a short break after finishing preparations for what they expected to be a busy day. She had a Shirley Temple in her hands that Prisha had made for her. Violet sat beside her with her own Shirley Temple, chatting with Prisha as she wiped down the bar. Mitch was kneeling on the floor nearby, working on some sort of wiring issue. It was nice to share a quiet moment before the craziness of breakfast rush began.

Louis ambled over, a clipboard in his hands. He must have just come from a meeting with Aasim. No way would he be carrying a clipboard of his own volition. After noticing the girls sitting together at the bar, he changed direction to join them, plopping down on the barstool between Clementine and Violet. He gave Clementine an easy smile which she returned in kind. Glancing over at her drink, he plucked the maraschino cherry from the rim, downing it in one gulp. He’d always had an insatiable sweet tooth, and they both knew Clem wasn’t planning to eat it. “Took your cherry,” he said with a playful wink.

Violet spat her drink across the bar. “What the fuck, Louis?”

“What?” Louis asked with an innocent shrug.

Prisha sighed as she started her cleaning again. “That was honestly vulgar, Louis,”

“I don’t think he meant it like that…” Clementine cut in.

Mitch let out a snort. “Seriously, Louis? Everyone knows what that means,”

“What does it mean?” Louis asked helplessly.

Violet took hold of his coat, pulling him in so she could whisper in his ear.

Louis’ eyes widened in horror. “Clem!” he spun around to face her. “I am sooooo sorry. I had no idea, I swear!”

“It’s OK, Louis. I know you didn’t mean it like that,” Though the statement was true. No point confirming that to the world though. She returned to her drink, eyes lowered so that no one would notice the rosy flush her cheeks had taken on. The others also returned to their tasks, leaving Louis to slink away in embarrassment, hoping the entire conversation would get swept under the rug. As the morning shift began, it seemed that was exactly what happened.

Until a Shirley Temple mysteriously appeared in the pickup window. Louis was picking up the slack since one of their waitresses had called in sick. When he came up to get his order, a Shirley Temple was standing beside it. What was it doing here?

“Umm, Omar? Is this yours?” Louis asked, picking it up.

“Oh, that’s mine!” Ruby exclaimed, coming forward and taking it from him. “Sorry, I shoulda kept a closer eye on my cherry,”

Louis’ jaw dropped. “Who told you?”

“Told me what?” Ruby asked innocently.

Omar loudly harrumphed. “Food’s getting cold,”

This conversation would have to wait for another time. Louis strode away sulkily, his face burning. How many of them knew?

The next Shirley Temple appeared at the booth that had just been vacated. He’d turned around for a minute to grab something to wipe it down and when he returned there it stood, looking at him smugly. Louis snatched it up in exasperation, ready to throw it in the trash.

“Wait!” A hand grabbed his wrist. Violet took the Shirley Temple from his hands, downing it in one gulp. “Now that’s the good stuff,”

“Did you do this, Vi?”

Violet walked away without bothering to answer.

“That’s very unprofessional!” Louis called lamely as he watched her disappear into the back room.

The third one was in the staff room. Louis walked in without looking around, his phone holding all his attention. When he sat down though, he heard something jostle on the table. He raised his gaze and locked eyes with the culprit. The Shirley Temple was still ice cold, the condensation on the outside of the glass slipping down the side slowly. There was more to the prank though: three maraschino cherries rested on top of the icy beverage. Louis’ mind reeled. Did the last Shirley Temple have two cherries? He couldn’t remember. He stalked out of the room, deciding to take his break in the storage closet.

Throughout the day they continued to appear before him, each with more cherries than the last. By the dumpster as he took the trash out, on the hood of his car when he went to grab his checkbook, even in the stall he walked into to use the restroom. Who was pranking him and how could they predict his every movement? Was it all of his staff? How were they so well-coordinated? Louis watched his employees warily, trying to figure out who the guilty party was; they all went about their jobs as if nothing had changed. The only one acting somewhat differently was Violet, who was always more than willing to take the latest Shirley Temple off of his hands. Even if she’d planted some, she couldn’t be moving around that quickly.

Eventually Louis had to admit the bitter truth to himself: they were all pranking him. Prisha drank a Shirley Temple as he walked past the bar, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time. Brody returned to the kitchen with a pile of dirty dishes, a Shirley Temple resting on top of the stack. Aasim went through the food locker with him and handed him each and every Shirley Temple inside without a single word: there were seven. Violet acted as a Shirley Temple vacuum throughout the entire day, sucking down each and every one she came across, a plate of nuggets in her hand. He didn’t know how she tucked them away like that. It would be impressive if the looming feeling of shame didn’t overshadow his entire day.

At one point, he thought he caught Prisha in the act. She was quietly assembling a Shirley Temple at the bar, right as he was about to start his next shift.

“Aha!” Louis exclaimed, running forward and plucking the drink out of her hands. “Thought you could slip this one by me, did ya? Well nice try, but I caught you red-handed this time!”

“What are you talking about?” Prisha glared at him in annoyance. “This is for a customer, not you. Clementine! It’s ready!”

Clementine came over, a serving tray in her hands. “Thanks, Prisha!” She gave Louis a sympathetic glance before grabbing the drink and hurrying over to a waiting family, placing the Shirley Temple in front of the little girl who bounced in excitement at her food’s arrival.

“Tsk, tsk,” Prisha scolded, picking up the jar of maraschino cherries and tucking them back under the bar. “Someone’s getting paranoid,”

“I- well-” Louis had nothing snappy to say in reply. He turned around with a huff, getting back to his work.

It was a long day, both literally and emotionally. Louis continued to be surprised with the variety of places the Shirley Temples showed up. Inside the freezer, on top of the fuse box, On the corner of the Ericson’s Diner roof. They never stopped coming. He was pretty sure their next food order would include a complete resupply of Maraschino cherries as well. He was too tired to ponder that for long though. He sat inside the staff room, his head laid on the table.

He heard the door open and close behind him. Who was even still around at this hour?

The soft clink of a glass being placed on the table. Not again.

Louis raised his head, his brow furrowed in annoyance. “Look, I’m getting real tired of your-” He froze.

“Hey,”

“Clem,”

She sat down beside him, a soft smile on her face. “Looks like you had a hell of a day,”

“You have no idea,”

“I saw a lot of it,” Clementine gestured to the Shirley Temple in front of him with a nod. “Bet you don’t want to see another one of those for the rest of your life,”

“Where did you find that one? In the oven? On top of the display case?”

“Actually, I made this one myself,” Clementine picked up the glass, slowly swirling the drink around. “I was trying to think how I could make you feel better. All I came up with was…” She paused, setting the drink back in front of him. Then she reached forward, taking the maraschino cherry and popping it into her mouth. She swallowed it with an audible gulp. “Took your cherry,”

Louis felt his face heating up as he looked at his girlfriend smiling so sweetly at him. “Holy shit,” he breathed.

Clem’s face wrinkled in concern. “Did I take it too far?”

Before he could properly articulate himself, Louis found himself chuckling. Laughing at how ridiculous this whole day had been. Who’dve thought things could go down like this from one little comment? Clementine started giggling too, joining him as the two of them laughed over the course of events that had brought them here. As they quieted, they looked at each other in silence, reading the other’s face before going in for a gentle kiss.

“I’m glad it was you,” Clementine whispered, looking down as shyness overcame her.

Louis’ face was starting to hurt with how strongly he was grinning. “I’m glad it was you too,”

Suddenly, a hand emerged from under the table, grasping around blindly before landing on the Shirley Temple and pulling it down below.

“What the shit?” Louis exclaimed, he and Clementine both back away from the table in shock.

A loud burp emanated from under the tablecloth. “Worth it,”

“Vi, is that you?”

“Just pretend I was never here,”

“What are you doing under there?”

“Sleeping off my Shirley Temple coma,” She paused. “I may need a ride home,”

Louis shook his head though she couldn’t see it from underneath the table. “Nuh uh, after the shit you pulled today?”

“That was mostly Prisha and Mitch! I just got the benefit of free drinks,” Vi crawled out from under the table, her clothes and hair rumpled. “Does this look like the face of a liar?”

“Fine,” Louis sighed. He turned to Clementine. “See you tomorrow?”

Clem nodded. “Can’t wait,” She leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight,”

“Night,”

As Clem exited the room, Violet took her place beside Louis.

“Need a hand?”

Violet let out another belch. “Nah, I’m good,”

They made their way silently through the empty restaurant. Once they reached the parking lot, Louis fished in his pocket for his keys.

“You guys are cute together,”

“I swear to God, Vi, if you tell anyone what happened-”

“Aaw, don’t get your panties in a twist. I won’t,” Violet waved her hand dismissively. “But I’m serious. Clem’s special. I’m glad you finally found someone who makes you feel like that,”

Louis was thoughtful as he unlocked his car. “I am too. Thanks, Vi,”

“Don’t mention it,”   
They were almost out of the parking lot when Vi spoke again. “Lou, don’t hate me for this,”

“What?”

“We have to go back and unlock the restaurant,”

“What? Why?”

“I have to pee,”


End file.
